Producing metals by electrolysis.



No; 880,760. PATENTED MAR..3, 1908.

G. 0. SEWARD & F. VON KUGELGEN. PRODUCING METALS BY ELEGTROLYSIS.'

APPLICATION FILED APB.24, 1906.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 1.

FIG-l.

l l l l INVENTORS:

No. 880,760. PATENTED MAR. 3, 1908.

G. 0.,SEWARD & P. VON KUGELGEN. PRODUCING METALS BY ELEOTROLYSIS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24, 1906. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

GEORGE U. SEWARI) AND FRANZ VON IUEGELGEN, Ol.llOL()O1\lBS ROCK, VIRGINIA, ASSTGNORS TO VIRGINIA 'l'JAlSOltAlURY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A C-Olt- PRODUCING M IETALS BY ELECTROLYSIS'.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rammed "March 3, 1908.

Application filed April 24. l9tl6. Serial No. 313,387-

To (1 who) it may concern:

Be it. known that we, Gnonon Snuzxnn, a citizen of the lnited States, and FRANZ vox h imcnulcx. a subject of the German Emperor, both residing at llolcombs liock, in

the county of Bedford and State of Virginia,

have jointly invented certain new and useful lmprovcments in Producing Metals by Electrolysis, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the electrolytic production of those metals and alloys, of which calcium and its alloys are typical, which. are lighter than their molten electrolytes, and whose melting points are either higher or not much lower than the melting points of their electrolytes. A dilliculty itherto encountered in the productionof.

' such metals is the tendency of many of them to burn when they come. in contact with air at the temperature at which the. electrolysis is conducted. The present invention provides a method of producing and collecting such metals without loss, and which is carried out on any desired scale with easeiand satisfactory free dom from minute attention to details.

'According to our invention we electrolyzo the molten electrolyte by means of a sul) merged cathode so that the light metal separates therefrom in a molten state and rises through the electrolyte, and we collect the metal under a movable protecting cover in contact with the electrolyte and preferably within a collecting ring. The protecting cover is best formed'of a chilled mass of the l' ht metal being produced, and is preferably h ted gradually from the electrolyte as it is built up or added to from beneath, so that a considerable mass of the desired metal in the form of a block or rod may be obtained;

Our invention may best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate in vertical section a suitable electrolytic cell.

Figure 1 shows the apparatus at an early stageof the process.

Fig. 2 shows the same at a later stage after a considerable mass of metal has accumulated.

The cell is formed by a vessel A, which Qmay be of cast iron and which mayprefer- .ably oradvantageously be of circu ar-form,

having a cathode B projecting up. centrally through its bottom, and an anode O of carbon or graphite. arranged annularly around its sldes and preferably CQllC-(Dtrlc with the j cathode. The cathode and anode are separated from the llOll vessel by layers a. a of insulating material. The vessel is so adapted that when filled to a suitable level with the salt or salts forming the electrolyte, and receiving. a sullicient current to maintain the latter iirolten, the bottom of the vessel will be protected by a chilled layer of the electrolyte. This is conveniently accomplished by forming it with a water-jacket 1) through which cold water may be circulated. The cathode, which may be made of iron 'or steel, and is preferably tapered or conical,termi nates a suitable distance beneath the surface of'the electrolyte. Above, and preferably concentric with it, is arranged a collecting ring or partition E provided with means for water-cooling it so as to chill upon its surface the gases separated at the anode.

F is a lifting device, which may consist as shown of a pair of tongs c c jointed at d and connected by shackles c to a suspension cord or chainf which may be carried over pulleys to a counterweight g; or any other suitable construction of grappling device may be sub'' I stituted, r

l n practicing our invention, the electro' ly tic vessel is kept full of a'suitable electrolyte whichis maintained in a .molten state and eleetrolyzed by the currrent passing from the anode to the submerged cathode. is separated in a molten state, and rises from the cathode to the top of the electrolyte, where it accumulates until the collecting ring is full of a layer of metal, the upper surface of which chilled to a solid condition by the cooling action ofthe air, and the lower sur face of which is soft or molten enough to 00- here with the globules of metal constantly rising from thecathode. The temperature of the electrolyte is kept low enough to permit this cooling of the upper surface of the metal, 'sothat the latter forms-a plate or cover over the electrolyte and within the collecting ring. When a sufliciently thick layer of metalhas formed'on the surface of the The metal electrolyte it is eitherfremoved therefrom, or

it is gradually withdrawn'upwardlg as it in creases in. depth, thus forming a ro or block of metalof any desiredlength. .For thus it, it is sufiicient toengage with it the tongs of the lifting e yit-e F and to elevate these tongs in any suitable manner,- as by addduced metal, so as to lift the latter partly but weight.

111g additional weights to the counterweight 9, so as to partly counterbalance not only the tongs but the weight of the mass h of pronot wholly out of the electrolyte. As the mass of metal is added to at the bottom, it may be graduall lifted, as, for example, by continually adrhng' more 'we' ht to' the counterextended to a considerable thickness vertically, its top part having been lifted to a pro portionate height.

If desired, a cover ofthe same 'metalas is produced, or of another metal, may be used tojfill the collecting ring at the beginning of the operation, but-this is not essential, as it is' possible to so regulatethe tem erature of the electrolyte and so conduct t e process that the accumulation of metal rising hflgom the cathode forms its own cover. is done in the following manner As the globj ulesof metal rise to the top they are watched using at the start a cover late w 40- carefully and prevented from burning by repeatedly immersing them the electrolyte until asuificient ma's'shas -ac'cumulated to form a cover, the upper surface of which, has

been so far reduced in temperature as not to burn in the air. This cover is quickly formed bythe cohesion of-the globules ofmetal as they rise from the cathode. It is even possible to dispense with a collectin g, by 'ch olds the globules of metal as t e rise and pre- I vents them from fioatin ,to't evanode, but it tate the isolation and collection of g gases, if this be desirable.

is preferable to use a co ecting ring, to facilithe anode The shape and arrangement of the-a para tus may,.of course, be'readily varied y one.

skilled in the art without departure from the inventibn. We do not limit ourselves to the use of a circular or concentric cell, although this is preferable in order to form a symmetrical mass of the'produced metal.

, Our' 'invention is applicable generally to. the production of the earth-alkali metals, and

' particularly to calcium and magnesium. It a 1 allo s of t esevmetals as are sufficiently light.

. to oat to the surface of the electrolyte.-

is also ap licableto the production of such Our invention is not applicable to metals,

with :the electrolyte.

such as sodium, which cannot be cooled to or ne'arto a solid condition while still in. contact -We claimas our invention the following defined-improvements. in the. art of produc- -l Fig. 2 shows t e produced. metal 72.

3 signed our names inthe sso,7co

ingby electrolysis metals which are lighter than their fused electrolytes, hamelyz- 3. In theelectrolysis of fused electrolytes, causing the metal 'to. separate in a molten state at a submergedcathode, rise through the electrolyte, and accumulate, cohere and solidify at the top to form a protective cover,

theupper surface of which is chilled by-cooling, whilefthe under surfacekemains sufficiently softfor the rising globules of metal.

to cohere therewith.

4. In the electrolysisoffusedelectrolytes,- causing the metal to' separate in a molten state at a submerged cathode, rise throughv the electrolyte, and accumulate andsolidify at the top withina collecting ring to form a rotective cover, the u per surface of which 1s chilled bycooling, e'the lower surface remains sufiic'iently soft for, therising globules of metal to cohere-therewith.

'5. In the electrolysis of fused electrolytes,-

causing the metal toseparate in a molten state at a' submerged cathode, rise through the electrolyte, and accumulate and solidify under a protective mass of the same meta chilling the up er portion'of the mass, and Withdrawing t e same gradually from the electrolyte so as to form rodsor blocks of the desired metal..

6. In the electrolysis of fused electrolytes,

alloy by causing it to solidify under a movable protective cover in contact with the electrolyte.

7. In the electrolysis of fused electrolytes,

electrolytically separating calcium from a suitable electrolyte at a submerged cathode, and collecting the metal or alloy by causing it .to solidify under amovable protective cover in contact with the electrolyte.

electrolytically separating an earth-alkali metal from a suitable electrolyte ata sub- -merged cathode, and collecting the metal or In witness whereof, we have hereunto I presence of twsubscrlblng wltnesses.

GEORGE o. sEwARD.

1 FRANZ VON, KUGELGEN Witnesses:

J. H. WEBB, P. O. HARDING. 

